Over 2000 years ago a band of Egyptians were sailing up the River Shannon …

Over 2000 years ago a band of Egyptians were sailing up the River Shannon …

Ireland : Hill of Uisneach : Bealtaine : 2011

?Over 2000 years ago a band of Egyptians were sailing up the River Shannon to attend the great Festival of the Fires which was held each year at the month of May at the Hill of Uisneach. Caesar acknowledged Uisneach and its great festival when he spoke of assemblies and trading at ?the consecrated place considered to be centre of all Gaul??

Although it stands just 180m above sea level, the summit of Uisneach commands extensive panoramic views over the central plain, with no less than twenty counties visible on the horizon. In every direction hills and mountains animate a horizon where green melts into blue, hinting at seas and complete encirclement. It is difficult to match in Ireland the range of prospect from the top. It?s also difficult to quantify Uisneach?s remarkable history.

The roots of Uisneach lie beyond recorded history but its surviving monuments and relics range in date from the Neolithic, early Bronze Age to the medieval period, indicating human activity spanning some five millennia.